Retailers pour a ton of effort and resources into the Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and holiday shopping kick-off. Most will spend months, if not all year, planning and executing their marketing, both on and offline. Last year retailers spent $3.7 billion dollars on holiday advertising.  

The last-minute holiday shoppers are often overlooked or included as an afterthought. The fact is that 51% of shoppers still plan to shop between 12/16 and 12/31. That is a huge audience that should not be ignored.

Plus, this year the holiday buying season is a week shorter than normal because of Thanksgiving falling so late in November. We will have more last-minute purchases than we’ve seen in the past.

So how can you capitalize on these last-minute shoppers?

Here are 5 tips to help you make the most of the 2019 holiday shopping season:

1. Advertise All Month: This might seem obvious, but many advertisers start advertising for the holidays as early as September but will pull back on efforts as the holiday approaches. Most won’t advertise the days after Christmas at all. This is a big mistake.

People are still shopping on Christmas Eve. If they’ve left it to the last minute, realized they have forgotten someone, or were waiting on a paycheck, they are still shopping.

Research from Google shows that one of the 3 biggest days of the year for shopping based on online searches is the day after Christmas. People have gift cards in hand, they have things to return, or they didn’t get the thing they really wanted this year. Be there!

• Showcase Your Fastest Options: People who are shopping last minute need the fastest possible option you can offer. Focusing your keywords, copy, and landing pages on your fastest, and easiest options, is key. No-hassle returns are also a big factor for these shoppers.

42% of sales the week before Christmas are people looking to buy online and pick up in a store. The ability to buy online and pick-up in store, get fast shipping, and buy e-gift cards are all things that last-minute shoppers need.

• Use Local Mobile Features: Mobile searches using the term “near me” spike 55% at Christmas. As we mentioned in our post Google Expands Local Shopping Options in Time for Holiday Sales there are new capabilities for Google Local Inventory campaigns. Highlighting same day pick-up, showcasing your retail locations along their route, and keeping a locally available product catalog updated will be key.

Since 40% of all online sales are predicted to be made on mobile devices, make sure that your site is optimized for mobile users, adjust your bids to target those users, and keep checkout as simple as possible. You want to stand out, be clear, and make it as easy as possible.

• Focus on Retargeting: One reason people wait until the last minute is that they need more time to make their final decision. Just because they are shopping doesn’t mean they are buying. It’s important to keep your products in front of them as they continue their search. By targeting the people who visited your site, but didn’t purchase, you can push them along on making their decision.

Include copy about how much longer they have left to buy gifts, shipping cut offs, days to the holiday, and assure them they are making the right choice. By staying in front of your interested shoppers you’re more likely to be top of mind when they finally pull the trigger and make their purchase.

• Target Men: It may seem like a stereotype, but the numbers don’t lie. 70% of women do most of the holiday shopping for their friends, families, and co-workers, however 47% of men admit to doing their shopping on Christmas Eve.

There are more ways to do this than just changing your demographic targeting. Focusing on ad copy phrases like top gifts, most popular, best-selling, and other words that reassure them your product is the best choice is helpful.

Targeting keywords around wife, girlfriend, mom, and other people they are most likely to be buying for, is a great way to get in front of them as they make their last-minute choices.

These tips should give you a great advantage this year and help you gain insights for an even better season in 2020. Your holiday advertising season isn’t over yet. Happy holidays and happy selling!